The All-American Rejects - Move Along

The All-American Rejects
Move Along
Interscope/Doghouse Records
Grade: A-

In the three-plus year history of Exoduster, our first artist of the month was the All-American Rejects when it was simply Tyson Ritter and Nick Wheeler and they were just newbies to the music world. Their initial effort for Doghouse featured the retarded big single “Swing, Swing,” thus leading to the majors battling it out for the Rejects and the Universal conglomerate winning out (though Doghouse retains some rights). The Rejects’ debut record went platinum and the rest is well history. Naturally, we are asking ‘what the hell took so long to release their sophomore record?’ One thing is that Universal re-released the debut and essentially giving the Rejects a new ‘clock.’ The other thing is that the Rejects have been touring relentlessly, typically bringing in their friends in smaller bands to open up (e.g., Limbeck). Still, Ritter and Wheeler, now officially joined by Mike Kennedy on guitars and Chris Gaylor on drums, took their time to write these twelve new pop love fests, to assure they didn’t hit the proverbial sophomore slump. Working like real rock stars, Ritter and Wheeler wrote for nearly a year, then practiced and did pre-production with Kennedy and Gaylor before heading to Burbank to finally lay down the tracks. The result is a collection of twelve perfectly developed pop songs that completely overcomes some of the highs and lows of their previous effort. While the debut had the scorching “Swing, Swing” and couple of other lookers, Move Along has a plethora of single material virtually assuring mass success. And the Rejects don’t mess around with letting you know their intentions on the opening number “Dirty Little Secret.” “Dirty Little Secret” is the record’s first single and bursts with ridiculous pop magic. The Rejects don’t let off on the follower “Stab My Back” and continue to nail it on the title track. “Move Along,” which was initially streamed online, illustrates the size of the Rejects now as they employ a children’s choir towards the end. “It Ends Tonight” slows the party down with the inclusion of measured pace piano, but the chorus (that is the title) keeps the song memorable. The Rejects aren’t going to let your fun end too soon as they immediately attack you on “Change Your Mind,” but the magic marginally slips on “Night Drive.” What you become clued into by the following strong “11:11 p.m.,” “Dance Inside” and “Top of the World” is that many songs are nearly the same length and can come off as repetitive. The Rejects once again slow down your world on “Straightjacket Feeling,” but then turn up the amps on the rocking “I’m Waiting.” Move Along closes out on the rather odd “Can’t Take It,” where the Rejects employ heavy strings giving the song a Broadway feel. The bottomline with Move Along is that if you loved the All-American Rejects’ debut, then you are going to be incredibly pleasured on this sophomore effort.